


As The World Falls Down

by ArielSakura



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Canon Compliant, Ghosts, M/M, Mutual Pining, Precognition, Seer Harry Potter, Slow Dancing, Songfic, Unexpected feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:27:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26671390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArielSakura/pseuds/ArielSakura
Summary: Dreams are wishes that your heart makes - and sometimes, they are indistinguishable from visions of the future.If only Harry was able to make sure this specific dream would become more than just a hazy memory...
Relationships: Regulus Black/Harry Potter
Comments: 27
Kudos: 192
Collections: Sing Me a Rare: UK Invasion!





	As The World Falls Down

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Sing Me a Rare: The UK Invasion. Much love to my alpha and beta who shall remain nameless until the fest is complete. 
> 
> Song Prompt – When The World Falls Down by David Bowie

The ballroom was full of swirling bodies, dressed in the finest of fineries. Masks in place to disguise the wearer as they laughed and danced and twirled. 

Amongst all of that, across the room, Harry saw him. Even with the mask, with midnight blue, subtly sparkling robes, he knew it was him. It couldn’t be anyone else. 

His heart raced; his palms began to sweat. Was this really happening? Was he really here?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As he plunged the cup into the basin, Harry could have sworn he heard a whisper on the nonexistent breeze. But he was unsure if it was real, or just the potion beginning to work.

“ _Foolish Gryffindor_.”

Ignoring it, he lifted the cup to his lips for the fourth time, most of the water spilling down his throat. His hand was shaking so violently that it spilled over his cheeks, the cool liquid burning his skin.

A sudden, shocking pain in his knees was what alerted him to the fact he had fallen down, sunken to the floor. His hands were empty, the cup gone as he held his head, fingers tearing at his hair, trying to rid his mind of the anguished screams.

“No! Don't! Don't take them!”

The cry resonated around the cave and it took him a moment to realise that it was he who had been screaming for his parents.

He could feel the smooth metal of the cup press against his lips, someone was tipping his head back as the vile water ran down his throat once more.

“Snuffles," he whimpered, sputtering on what little liquid was left in his mouth after he swallowed.

He was sure there were more names leaving his lips but it all became so hazy. So muddled. It all swirled together, the memories and colours, and all he could focus on was the next cup and the one after. And the one after. 

Until metal scraped against stone.

Until it was finally over. 

Memories still twirled around his mind, and he was disoriented, dazed. Unable to collect his thoughts.

Opening his eyes, he stared at the stony ground, trying hard to find a point to fixate on. Anything to focus and clear his mind.

A pair of translucent hands covered his. Ghostly, pale in what little light belonged to this place. Harry sucked in a harsh breath and looked up. What he saw bewildered him even more.

For a second, he was so sure who he was looking at, that his mind had snapped under the influence of the potion.

"You- You’re here-" 

He stopped himself immediately. Something was different, something was off.

"You’re not... Sirius. Who are you?"

"You can see me?"

Like his appearance suggested, the voice of this stranger reminded Harry so much of his godfather - but it was not the same. It held the same nuances, the same aristocratic lilt. But it was softer, more melodic.

Like he hadn't spent years screaming in a prison.

Suspicious and curious, he let his eyes rove over that handsome face - whoever he was, he was not much older than Harry himself. 

"Who are you?" he asked again.

"My name is Regulus… Regulus Black."

Not in control of his reactions, Harry’s eyes grew wide.

Sirius’ brother.

Regulus — the one who had died at only eighteen years old.

The Death Eater.

What was _he_ doing here?

"Harry," came Dumbledore’s voice, breaking Harry’s train of thought. "We must go. Come."

Harry reached a hand up to grip Dumbledore’s arm but in a spur of the moment, he stretched his other hand towards Regulus. 

"Come with us."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was! It was him! But between one beat, one swirl of dancers... Harry lost him, and he began to doubt he had seen him at all. 

Had he lost him already? Before they'd had a chance to begin? Again?

He rushed into the crowd, into the swarm of writhing bodies, lifting himself onto the toes of his feet as he spun in circles, looking for one face amongst the oppressing crush. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You think I care about that?! I don't!" Harry yelled, spinning in place so that he and Regulus were almost nose to nose.

He felt his nostrils flare, and his eyes were blazing as he glared up at Regulus.

"I'm not afraid of what's inside of me. I'm not afraid of Voldemort winning! I won't let him."

"Well then, what is it? Why are you so reluctant? Why are you dragging your feet?" Regulus demanded.

“Because of you!" Harry exploded. 

The words sat heavy in the sudden silence between them and Harry watched Regulus as he seemed to uncharacteristically scramble for something to say.

"What?"

Harry licked his lips nervously, gathering his courage to say what he had been bursting to be said.

"It's because of you. Every day we get closer to being rid of Voldemort. And every day I get closer to never seeing you again."

"Harry," Regulus said quietly, his voice soft, reverent, but anguished all the same. "I'm not really here."

Harry swayed closer still, his eyes wide and fervent. He could feel the unshed tears stinging, as his bottled feelings pushed closer to the surface. 

"I’d rather have you like this, than live a life without you.”

“Foolish Gryffindor,” Regulus said, his voice hushed as he stared into Harry’s eyes, a hand lifting as if to brush away a stray strand of hair. 

Gaze drawn to his translucent hand, Harry’s heart sank as he saw Regulus slowly drawing back again. He had hoped against all hope that he wouldn’t stop. That he really would reach for him. Wishing so much that he could actually feel his touch. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In the middle of the dance floor, he stopped. Lips parted as his eyes searched frantically. His heart beat like thunder inside his chest, he had to be here. He had to be. Didn’t he? It wasn’t all for nothing? 

It felt as though he had been searching for a lifetime, for just a glimpse, just a chance...

Feeling a prickling on the back of his neck, he turned once more, his body moving on its own accord as though someone pulled his strings - and there! There he was. Not two paces away. Harry could only stare, wide-eyed as he moved closer, his hands moving to take Harry in his arms. 

As if it was where he had always belonged.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Wherever Harry was, it was white. Blindingly so. He looked around, trying to ascertain his surroundings and his gaze fell on a familiar figure. On familiar wavy hair, familiar grey eyes. 

Just not the grey eyes he had hoped to see.

His heart fell, even as it rose, and he threw himself forward. 

"Sirius! What are– where are we? Are we dead?"

"That all depends, pup." Sirius said, as he squeezed Harry tightly. 

"Depends? Depends on what?"

"On if you want to go back."

"If I–" his voice trailed off, and he pulled back from Sirius' embrace. "I can go back?"

"If you want to."

"But if I didn't… I could see you? Mum? Dad? Remus? Reg–" he stopped himself, suddenly unsure if Sirius knew.

Sirius nodded, and he smiled down at Harry, a surprisingly warm hand coming to rest against his cheek. 

"Yes, even my brother. Can't say I'm not surprised, but, you two seem to fit and I'm so proud of what you have accomplished together this past year. I can’t even imagine how your hunt for the Horcruxes would have gone, had you not had his help. Especially to get into Gringotts."

"I guess we would have had to break in," Harry said, a small smile tucking into the corner of his lips as he remembered Hermione and Ron's plan. 

He had probably been lucky that Regulus had been there to guide him to the Black family ring, to take up the mantle of Lord Black, granting him easy access to any vault of that bloodline.

There was so much more he wanted to ask Sirius. To talk about with his Godfather he had met too late in life and lost too soon.

Sirius seemed to look past Harry, smiling at something behind him before meeting Harry's eyes again. 

"If you go back, Harry. You might be able to take someone with you." 

He pointed behind him and Harry spun quickly, eyes widening as he saw Regulus standing there. 

He turned back to Sirius, "Wha-"

"If you go. Take him with you. You two might be able to live the life you should have had and that your parents and I never had. Together."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nothing made sense, nothing at all, but him.

He made sense. He fit in Harry's heart like there had always been space for him.

Everything felt as though it was spinning, in his mind, in his heart. Could this really be? His eyes locked onto pale grey and he felt the world slow down around them. 

In the middle of the dancefloor, Harry felt his heart hitch in his chest as their faces grew closer together. The music reached a crashing crescendo as their lips met, and he couldn’t tell anymore if the world was up, down, or spinning madly, violently into the sun. 

But as the music faded, he knew he was simply…

Falling. 

Falling down.

Falling in love. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Harry? Harry, my boy, are you quite with me?"

Harry shook his head from the daze, from the images racing in his mind, blinking up into the face of his Headmaster. 

"Yes?" he rasped. Swallowing before he tried again, "Yes, I think so."

"You think? Or you know? Harry, I’ll have you know, for this next mission, you will need a clear mind. So if you’re not-"

"No! No, I'm alright, Professor. Just, just a... dizzy spell."

"You did hear me then? What I said about what lies ahead of us? Or was what you saw too distracting?"

Harry’s head snapped up at that, all fogginess gone.

"What do you mean, Professor?"

As Dumbledore often did, he smiled at him over his half-moon spectacles in a way that told Harry he knew more than he would tell him. Instead, his Headmaster hummed an unfamiliar tune - that somehow resonated with something deep in Harry’s heart.

Before he could ask anything else, Dumbledore stood up from his hunched position over Harry and held out his arm.

"Well, if you're sure... Come, take my arm. The cave we must travel to is far, and I do not know all that awaits us."

Harry nodded and stood, an odd sense of anticipation filling him as he took the proffered arm.


End file.
